Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas is essential reading and one of the best psychological thrillers I've read this year. Extremely well plotted with believable characters, it tugs at the heartstrings and pulls you in.

Schoolgirls Heather Powell and Jessica Fox are best friends until tragedy strikes in the summer of 1994. Flora, Heather's 16-year-old elder sister, disappears from Tilby in Somerset and is never seen again. It destroys the girls' friendship and they drift apart.

Fast forward to March 2012 and two bodies are discovered in a house in Tilby, apparently shot dead by 32-year-old Heather Powell. Jessica, working as a journalist at the Bristol and Somerset Herald, is shocked to learn her old friend stands accused of murder.

Taking advantage of her past association with the Powells, Jessica re-enters their lives only to become conflicted when her loyalty to the family who once welcomed her into their home clashes with her job to get an exclusive interview for the newspaper. Was Heather really capable of murder? The evidence appears to confirm her guilt. Jessica is determined to discover exactly what happened.

The story is cleverly told through two timelines - the events leading up to Flora's disappearance in 1994 and Heather being accused of a double murder in 2012. I thought it was a gripping, multi-layered thriller. It wasn't particularly fast-paced but it didn't matter - the characters needed to be fully developed and Claire Douglas certainly did them justice. A fantastic read and one I highly recommend.

Great structure. The book is told from multiple viewpoints and is based on a modern day shooting that is very much rooted in the past. I found this book compelling and a real page turner. Some great twists and wonderful central characters. It also has tense, thrilling parts that make desperate to read on.

This was a 5 star read from Claire Douglas. I was hooked from the beginning.

The story begins with a double shooting (seemingly random) in a quiet seaside town in England. A short distance away a woman is found seriously injured with shotgun wounds and a bump to her head. The police think that she has killed the two people before turning the gun on herself. One of the journalists assigned to the case (Jess) used to live in the quiet town and was best friends for a while with the suspected murderess (Heather) before a life-changing event resulted in them becoming distant with one another.

The book is told mainly from the point of view of Jess and Margot and flits between the past and the present. This works very well in telling the story and creating the right element of suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Having read all of Claire's previous titles I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to be given the opprtunity to read this advance copy of her new book. Suffice it to say that this wonderfully constructed psychological thriller has all the outstandingly clever elements that made her other books so memorable. Excellent!

This was an amazing book! This tells the story of a double shooting and Jess , a journalist , returns home to report on the story. She soon realises that the main suspect is her childhood best friend Heather. Jess cant quite believe that Heather would do this and decides to investigate. I couldn't put this book down! It had me hooked from the first page. Definitely some unexpected twists and turns. I would highly recommend this book. Its more than just a gripping book, there is a story of old friends behind it.

Then She Vanishes is the first novel I have read by Claire Douglas. It is a dark story that touches on the topics of drug dealers, abusive partners, people hooked on illegal substances, predatory older men, and a stalker. The subjects are dealt with lightly (no depth). Then She Vanishes is a slow starter and the pace does not improve. I would have liked a peppier speed. The mystery is straightforward with a red herring or two. Then She Vanishes is more mystery than suspense. With a suspense novel, I want to feel anticipation (be on the edge of my seat). The point-of-view alternates to give readers different perspectives plus it goes back in time (and then back to the present) to tell readers what happened when Flora disappeared. It was too much back-and-forth for me. The story failed to engage me, and I found the ending predictable. I knew how the story would end from early in the book. All the loose ends are tied up neatly at the end (a little too neatly). Then She Vanishes needed more depth, a faster pace and some unexpected surprises. While Then She Vanishes was not the right fit for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. Then She Vanishes takes readers down a rabbit hole as a reporter searches for the truth after two murders.

This is the first book of this author I have read but now I want to read all the rest. There was so many twists and turns in this book it was like a episode of my favourite crime programme. Unlike some people have said it was not easy to work out who did what and what happened to the missing sister first you think it will go one way then it changes direction and you are left thinking oh well I was not right about that. This book is about a sister that goes missing and what happened 20 years later and how 2 friends were pulled apart because of it and brought back together. Very well written and really enjoyed it and now can't wait to read the first 5 books before this one

A captivating and twisty mystery tale

Heather and Jess were inseparable best friends when they were children, but when Heather’s sister Flora suddenly vanished from the sleepy seaside town they grew up in, the two girls drifted apart. 18 years later, an adult Jess is forced to return to Tilby in her role as a reporter when Heather seemingly commits a horrific double murder. As she delves deeper into what happened and attempts to regain the trust of Heather’s mother Margot, Jess begins to uncover more about her old best friend and what might have really happened to her sister all those years ago. As more secrets are revealed, she finds herself beginning to doubt how well she ever knew Heather at all.

This was a gripping and enjoyable mystery novel full of twists and turns that kept you guessing right until literally the very last few pages. The author cleverly uses flashbacks to Jess and Heather’s childhood to build up an idea of the girls’ past relationship, and masterfully intertwines this with the events of the present day to reveal more about Heather’s supposed murders and Flora’s disappearance. Also, while the main 'twist' wasn't exactly unexpected, this doesn't ruin the suspense of the story as the author drip-feeds the reader so many clues and red herrings, you feel the urge to keep reading to find out precisely what has happened rather than just the general gist.

The central characters in this story are well-developed and authentic, and for the most part, they act in ways that seem true to their presented personalities. However, I did find some of their behaviours towards each other slightly unbelievable (for example, the reaction of Heather and her mother to Jess's reappearance). The subplot of Jess not wanting to commit to her frankly perfect partner Rory was frustrating and irritatingly cliched – characters who have had a 'difficult childhood' so, therefore, push everyone away are overused in these sort of books – and some of the secondary characters such as Jess’s photographer Jack felt a little flat and pointless to the story. Additionally, despite being full of good twists, the story itself was not uniquely original or shockingly memorable.

In conclusion, while not ground-breaking or totally unforgettable, this was a great mystery novel by a clearly talented writer. While it did contain a few clichés, it was fast-paced and full of twists and should be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of the genre.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

This book is a kind of a slow burn. If you are expecting to be grabbed by the throat and taken on a thrill ride then you will be disappointed.

The story starts promisingly enough with the reader witnessing a double murder. We don't know who was wielding the gun, or why, but we do know that it was a woman and that she had a reason for killing. We are then introduced to Jess, a disgraced reporter who has returned from London to work at her local newspaper following a scandal that is repeatedly hinted at but not revealed until a good portion of the way through the book (when I found out I couldn't help but think 'is that all?!'). She is assigned the job of writing up the report about the double murder and why the police suspect a woman found in a barn, shot in the chest, is the murderer. Jess is intrigued by the story, not least because the suspect, Heather, was her best friend at school - in fact she spent so much time at Heather's house that she was almost living there. Heather has her only mysterious past too as he older sister, Flora, vanished when she was 16 and the police never found out what happened to her.

We are then taken on a journey to the heart of the mysterious murders. With the action snapping back and forth between different characters as well as changing time periods between present day and 1994 when Flora disappeared the murderers motive is eventually revealed.....and just who is sending threatening messages to Jess warning her to 'Back Off'.

In essence this is a mystery, within a mystery, with a couple of other mysteries thrown in on the side. It's easy to read, not too challenging and you will probably figure out most of the plot by the half way mark but, that being said, it is still a good story and worth a read. I just prefer my murders to be a little more thrilling.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say this wasn’t my favourite Claire Douglas book. It picked up in the last 30% of the story but I found it slow to get going and I didn’t feel any real empathy toward any of the characters, which led me to not really care what was happening to be honest. That being said it was well written and the latter part of the book was good. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed!

The story starts with a double murder and an unusual suspect. The chapters alternate between present day and the events of 1994, when a young girl mysteriously disappeared. Jess, a reporter, goes back to her hometown to investigate the double murder and realises the case is a bit too close for comfort.

This book is exciting, with a fast pace and is really well written. I haven't read any other Claire Douglas books but this has definitely encouraged me to get some more! It feels like a TV adaptation would work really well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas. I really enjoyed this book, was hooked from beginning to end. I have read several other titles by this author - Sisters, Local Girl Missing and Last Seen Alive. Claire is becoming one of my favourite authors *****

I thoroughly enjoyed Then She Vanishes. It goes back and forth from 1994 to the present day and tell the story of Flora, Jess, Heather and Margot.
Gloria mysteriously disappears aged 16, baffling her family and friends right the way through to 18 years later
Heather is accused of killing a mother and grown son in their own home and then turning the gun on herself.
Then She Vanishes is a brilliantly written who done it, that has you thinking a number of people are guilty of a number of crimes.
Add this book to your To Be Read list as you will not me disappointed.

A really dark and twisty book.
Page turner from the start to the end.
Gripping characters and storyline.
Another fantastic read

Oh my goodness! This had me gripped from the get go. It is very well written and every page makes you thirsty for more. It is packed with action, and each of the main characters has their own little story going on as well as the big main story which keeps you enthralled until the very end. Definitely a must read. I am now going to go buy some Claire Douglas books and add her to my list of talented writers to read.

Well, what a magnificent, and creepy, ending!
This was a book that was very hard to put down, and thoroughly enjoyable. The plot was great, the writing was fabulous, and the characters were well developed. It was really great to read a wonderful psychological thriller with an English author, writing about things I remember and understand, and doing it very well! There were plenty of twists and turns and the plot didn't develop like I expected - which made a very good read.
I would certainly be very happy to read more books by this author.

How far will two sisters go to protect each other ? In this book 2 sisters Flora and Heather live with their widowed mother on a farm . At the age of16 Flora meets an older boy Dylan who works on the Fair which is in the village for the summer. One day she sneaks off to London with Dylan but they argue and she comes back alone . Before she arrives home she disappears and a blouse covered in her blood is found . Her body is never found , many years later Heathers best friend from the time Jess , now a journalist , moves back to the area . Two bodies are found in a house in Bristol and Heather is found shot and seriously wounded in a barn on their farm . It is suspected that she has committed the murders , but did she ? Flora is found as an homeless drug addict in a squat by Jess's boyfriend and the story emerges of what happened at the time of her disappearance and the 18 years since . A well written story with many side plots all joining together at the end .

This tale is of a mystery from the past that manifests itself in today. .
The characters are well written and believable. The story starts well and kept me gripped for the most part, although I felt it dipped in the middle, but picked up again towards the end, at which point I couldn't put it down.
All in all an enjoyable read.

Claire Douglas’s books pull you in from the first sentence and don’t let go until the very last full stop. Full of twists and turns, not to mention gasp out loud moments. I thoroughly recommend Then She Vanishes.

The first few pages of this book hook you in, you instantly want to know who this is and why are they doing this and as the story develops you are kept wanting to guessing and wanting to find out more.

I love that the story focuses on the lives (past & present) of the Jess, Margot, Heather & Flora and isn't just a whodunnit murder mystery.

The story is told from the different perspectives of each of them, each chapter focuses on a different character, what they are feeling and experiencing, making it easy to read and follow even though there are several story lines running throughout. You feel like you really get to know them.

At times you will think you have solved the mystery but Claire Douglas keeps the story twisting and turning so you don't really know until the very end.

This is the first time I have read a Claire Douglas novel and based on this one I will definitely look out for her other books.

I was given an advance copy of this book by NetGalley and the publishers in return for my honest opinion.